Æthereal Plane
The Æthereal Plane, sometimes referred to as the Unformed Lands, is coexistent with the Material Plane and resides within the Mesmeric Plane. The Material Plane itself is clearly visible from the Æthereal Plane, but it appears more muted and indistinct to those who have forcibly projected themselves into the Spirit World. However, for spirits and perfected beings such as gods and angels, the Material Plane appears even more sharply focused from the Spirit World. This is due in part to the fact that spiritual sight is not dependent on the movement of light as it is in the Material Plane, therefore, even the darkest of places appear bright in the Æthereal Plane. While it is possible to see into the Material Plane from the Æthereal Plane, the Æthereal Plane is usually invisible to those on the Material Plane. Normally, creatures on the Æthereal Plane cannot attack creatures on the Material Plane, and vice versa. A traveler on the Æthereal Plane is invisible, incorporeal, and utterly silent to someone on the Material Plane. The Deep Æthereal Plane, known to the more ancient civilizations as the Blind Eternities, is filled with clouds of Æther that cannot be seen on the Material Plane. However, the plane has its own inhabitants. Some of these are other Æthereal travelers, but the spirits found here pose a particular peril to those who walk the fog. When a traveler crosses into the Æthereal Plane, he and all his possessions are converted to their Æthereal equivalents, metal becomes Æthereal metal, flesh becomes Æthereal flesh and so on, allowing free movement (in most cases) in any direction through the solid matter of the adjacent plane. Since everything is permeated with Æther, an air-breathing creature can breathe Æthereal air and cannot drown in an Æthereal lake nor be crushed by an Æthereal rock. However, not all in the adjacent plane is insubstantial. Living things larger than one-celled animals generate an aura that radiates around them and prevents passage to their interior, so an Æthereal traveler cannot place a weapon inside a living creature where it would materialize and cause damage. Dense metals such as lead or gold can also potentially hamper passage of Æthereal matter. And finally, some magic spells and alchemical mixtures can form an effective barrier. Travel in the Æthereal and Border Æthereal is accomplished by force of will— you wish to go somewhere and you do, at your highest rate of movement. There is a sense of up and down but gravity is so thin that it can be considered absent. To get to another plane, one has to pass through a curtain of vaporous color into the Deep Æthereal, where travel speed multiplies by thousands of times without the pull of gravity. One must then traverse the Æthersea until reaching the curtain that demarcates the Border Æthereal of the destination plane. If the (usually magical) Æthereal effect wears off while a traveler is in the Deep Æthereal, he will immediately be forced through a random curtain at a random location in the Border Æthereal and deposited on the plane which it borders. Category:Planes Category:Dimensions